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| A rustic and casual table for our dinner. |
We have been trying to get this dinner scheduled with our friends Amy and Mike for quite some time. Kevin and I both have a long, rewarding, and meaningful friendship with Amy and Mike (separately and together) - in fact, it was actually Kevin who introduced them to each other. They have been together for almost as long as Kevin and I and have been married since 2005. They have two remarkably sweet and wonderful kids named Sam and Elena. As you can imagine trying to schedule a dinner on a random Saturday can be quite difficult when the guests have two young kids that are very active and when they live in Fairfax. Not to mention, the mystery guests they wanted to bring also have children and the husband travels for work quite a bit. Luckily, the end of September worked for everyone and we got to hang out (sans children) with Amy and Mike and our new friends Paula and Jason.
So with the date all set, what should we do for the dinner? I have known Amy for many years and I have known about her strong allergies to tree nuts (along with some other foods), but her sensitivity to gluten is relatively new and presented a great opportunity for me to try a gluten-free meal. I should also point out that Amy's allergies have made me very aware of how difficult it can be for someone who is literally deathly allergic to eat out. I've watched some servers essentially ignore her questions and not check with the chef about certain items. I think one of the reasons this happens is that people lie when they say they are allergic to things that they simply don't like to eat; so think twice next time you do that at a restaurant because it can de-sensitize an establishment to legitimate, life-threatening allergies. Ok hopping off my soapbox now...
After some research and thought, one cuisine that seemed to be surprisingly gluten-free (at least to me) was Mexican food. I grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, where my idea of Mexican food as a kid consisted mostly of Old El Paso taco kits or, even worse, Taco Bell. There were not many authentic Mexican restaurants in central Mass. Thankfully, my adult self has experienced authentic Mexican cuisine and through the advent of food television I have been able to discover the enormous diversity of Mexican food. I could probably do seven or eight You Pick Two dinners alone on various regional specialties of Mexican food. However, I instead cautiously dipped my toe into Mexican food here with a broad selection of many well-known Mexican dishes. For this meal, I made my own corn tortillas and salsas, pulled together a mole poblano, and found one of the easiest (and most delicious) ways to cook pinto beans you can imagine. I picked the mole since I was really interested in exposing my guests to something different and I wanted Amy to be able to try it in a safe place, since mole sauces traditionally contain dozens of ingredients and a lot of tree nuts.
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| Our guests, starting at top left are Amy, Mike, Paula, and Jason. Kev and Buck need no introduction :) |
Amy and Mike brought two wonderful people to the dinner in Paula and Jason. Jason works for USAID as a manager on the civilian (non-foreign service) side and spends a lot of time in southeast Asia. Paula took a break from her career as a pharmaceuticals rep to raise their two children and her love of animals was a big hit with Kev and I (they also have a big dog). As you might imagine, Buck got along quite well with both of them over the evening. Amy and Paula met each other at the pre-school that both their kids happen to attend. Paula is also a native of northeastern New Jersey and gave Kevin and I the hard sell on moving up there (we may eventually have to move there for Kev's work). The night's conversation was lively with discussions about pets, kids, work, and respective hobbies. Kev's new bowling ball even made a late appearance before our guests departed. It was a great night and it was a pleasure to host them and cook this Mexican fiesta.
MENU
A Mexican Fiesta
September 27, 2014
Cocktail
The Independent
Blanco
tequila, lime, agave nectar, sparkling wine
Appetizer
Chips and salsa
Salsa roja (tomato & chile),
Salsa verde (green tomatillo)
Main
Tacos de carne asada
Grilled skirt steak, homemade corn
tortillas, salsa verde
Pollo en mole poblano
Chicken with Puebla-style mole sauce
Frijoles de Ollo
Stewed pinto beans, crema, queso
Oaxaca
Sweet
Vanilla pavlova with Mexican chocolate sauce
Marshmallow cake, whipped cream, dark
chocolate, spices
Guests
Amy and Mike Baglivio
Paula and Jason Foley
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